Shadows in Flight
by lilkuizi
Summary: A series of emails between the Jeesh, the Wiggins, and other Battle Schoolers. Not necessarily in chronological order. My first Fanfic so be nice and please review! T just to be safe. I wanted to put the addresses in email format but it won't let me.
1. Chapter 1

From: Hot Soup

To: Petra Delphiki

Subject: Jeesh

Isn't ansible connection just wonderful these days? I'm light-years away and can still send you emails.

Petra, you're the only one in Ender's Jeesh to have stayed on Earth. You're the only one who was able to suppress your need, your innate hunger for power and command. No, you're not like Bean no matter how much you loved him. He was the only one. All the other Battle School kids, we were chosen because we had ambition. A frightening hunger for unparalleled success.

Graff must have been completely convinced that Ender was the one. Either that or he was an idiot. He put all of us together, forced us to become friends when he knew that after Ender succeeded, we would all return to Earth and be pitted against each other by our nations.

But, I can't call Graff an idiot. He knew and offered us a chance to leave; we just took it far too late. Your husband Petra, he did a phenomenal job of uniting the world under the Hegemony. Alai and his Islam nation couldn't do it, Virlomi and India couldn't, and I'll admit, I couldn't do it with China. Only Peter could succeed. He was already Locke, an international political figure, at the age of 15. He had no loyalties to one nation; the world as a whole was his home. You perhaps knew Peter the best, besides maybe Valentine, but that's arguable. From Ender, we all knew of Peter's cruelty. But that was seen through the eyes of a child. No matter how brilliant he was, how brilliant we all were, we were still children. Well, except for Bean. Bean's the exception to a lot of things. Besides him, Ender was the youngest of us and whatever we needed he needed more. But you know all this. You are also the only one to really know Peter, both his cruelty and his love. Your children and grandchildren too. And it surprises me when I say that because you were younger than me. Technically, you still are. But, as I sit here on Path writing this, I am still only 23 and you are well into your 70s. Bean and Ender, they're probably still 16. Bean travelling into the endless universe and Ender moving and stopping and moving again.

But time and age are different. None of us have the years of wisdom that you've gained. We are still children in your eyes. You will be the first of us to die. And Bean the last. I know that Ender will settle down eventually. He needs to. But you and Bean. How did you two end up together? That lucky little bastard. He got the only girl in Ender's Jeesh. You two were special though; the one with no ambition and the one who could suppress it. I know, and you know, that if you didn't have Bean, you would have led Armenia to confront Islam, India and China. The Armenian people loved you they still do.

I like to think the offer still stands for you. To travel out into space and settle your own world, or join the new Armenian colony. I can't help but wonder what events would have ensued if you had taken power. But there's no point in 'what if's.

Petra, you may have been the best of us. You lived life as you were supposed to, no more no less. You lived a normal life, as much as you could. And I send my condolences for both your losses. The one that is dead and the one that is as good as dead. Though, I trust you do correspond occasionally. I'm guessing not too often considering he asked me to tell you that he made a stop at Virlomi's to pick up Randall. Relatively, he's only a year younger than his father and almost just as tall.

I'm sure you've heard from Ender. And Alai still has his loyal followers. Virlomi is governing her world. Suriyawong is leading the Thai colony. Vlad's making Russia and Dumper, Crazy Tom, Carn Carby, Dink, Shen, and Fly Molo, they're all governors. They didn't seem to know much about you now. I guess I'm the only one who's still keeping in touch with everyone. But Petra, we all still love you and we will all mourn your death. It's just a pity that no one will ever mourn Bean's. Right now however, it is not you who has died, but your husband. Petra, will you take over the Hegemony and maintain peace? I don't doubt you can do it. Or will you hand over Earth to Starways Congress as well? It's the only planet they don't have control of now. My advice, if you would take the advice of a defeated tiger, is to give Earth to Congress, live the rest of your life and die happy and fairly normal. Normal as far as the Jeesh goes.

My love and my sincerities,

Hot Soup

P.S. The Hive Queen and The Hegemon is quite a little duet, don't you think?

From: Petra Wiggin

To: Hot Soup

Subject: Re: Jeesh

I do write to Bean, Hot Soup, he just never writes back. It's his way of smiling ad saying "I love you Petra, but you should really learn to let go." I've also been corresponding with Ender ever since the Randall incident. And recently, I've even been talking with Randall. He keeps me up to speed (haha) with Bean.

Thank you Hot Soup, really, for your advice but I've already made my decision and handed over Earth to Starways Congress.

I do agree with some of what you've said but I cannot say that I was the best of us. We were and still are all the same. Except for Ender and Bean. They really were the best and look where that got them. No, the rest of us were the same. I wasn't better just different because I found something other than my intelligence to live for. You and Virlomi and Alai were just bored. You had nothing else you could do. All you've ever known was war and strategy and you were used to being on top. I know that if a woman ever presented herself to you that you might marry her, you wouldn't have led your conquests and your armies. I'm not talking about Virlomi. That would have been a political marriage. Alai and Virlomi didn't end up together in the end anyways. All of your toils, they added up to nothing. None of you are on earth anymore. You have no say in what goes one here.

It's different than you remember. It truly is peaceful, no war. That was the ideal for settling the Bugger planets. With only one race and one religion, there would be no war there either. Imagine, we couldn't live on a tiny planet and maintain peace, but as we expand throughout the universe we are able to. What strange creatures humans are.

Yes, I am going to die soon, but I would take the advice of a defeated tiger any day. After all, I am defeated as well though I was never a tiger to begin with. I was never really anything. When I'm gone, no one will remember the girl that taught Ender Wiggin to shoot a gun, no one will remember the only girl in Ender's Jeesh. The textbooks will write my name next to yours and Bean's and everyone else's, but it will be one of those names that history skips. The rest of the Jeesh will be known forever on their worlds as the one who started it all. Ender will never be forgotten, whether for good or bad I cannot say. Bean as well, no one will remember Bean and no one will remember me. And I'm ok with that. That's funny isn't it? The two of us. Married and yet not married, the brilliant children that gave it all up, no one will remember Arkanian and Delphiki.

I have no fear of death. I've lived my life and my children can fend for themselves. That is after the cycle life is it not? Animals, as humans are, battle for survival through reproduction. I think I've done a good job. I know that one day I'll see Bean again, whether in Heaven or Hell is for God to decide.

You're condolences are gratefully accepted but not needed. I didn't cry.

Love,

Petra Arkanian Delphiki Wiggin

P.S. Beautiful


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! this is the author here.**

**So, i know i got this second chapter in in a day, but don't expect such quick updates every time. Once i lose momentum, you'll be lucky to read my writing every month. **

**I really didn't know who to write about for the second chapter. So i got this wonderful idea. I wrote down a list of characters, numbered them from one to about 20 and asked my friend to pick 2 random numbers. I ended up with Ender and Carn Carby. This was pretty hard considering i don't know much about Carn. Still, i tried my best so enjoy!**

**BTW next chapter is Han Tzu, Alai, and Virlomi. The three most powerful forces back on Earth, now split light-years apart and governing their own colonies.**

From: Ender Wiggin

To: Carn Carby

Subject: Space

Greetings from halfway across the known universe! Shakespeare was a success but you know me. Whenever I finish one task, I have to move on to bigger and better operations. Randall was a nice kid (well, after he finishing punching my brains in) and Virlomi's doing a great job but trust me, I wouldn't want to live on the same planet as her for a week.

But what is a week? A week for me is equal to years for you. And yet I cling desperately to Earth's old concept of time. Like a child. Then again, I am still a child. Forever 16. But _you, you're old, nah nah nah nah nah. Oldie._ Aren't I simply adorable?

Well, Carn, it's been a while. There really seems to be nothing to talk about with us Battle School folk anymore. We've outlived our due. There's no such thing as fresh gossip. But Han Tzu always seems to find a reason to talk. So why not? We'll talk and laugh like old men 'til we die. However, I do have news. Shakespeare will do fine on its own now so I've moved on. I could never stay in one place forever. Valentine and I, we've moved to Trondheim. The climate is colder than that of Earth and about 90 percent of the surface is ocean. The terrain is mostly icy and the main industry here is fishing.

You're probably reading this now and scratching your head wondering why I would bother telling you. It's as simple as this: I felt like it. Of all my Commanders, I knew you the least. And yet you were perfect. You did your job and I never demanded more from you, so you never failed me. You commanded her section of the fleet and accomplished every task set before you. Perfect. But somehow I feel that I underestimated you. I was a child and though I was indeed a brilliant military strategist, I did let my personal emotions run many of my decisions. I trusted those I was closest to, Alai and Petra and Bean. I would have trusted Bean anyways. And despite all this whispers of peace, I loved Petra more and that's why she broke.

I was a horrible Commander. I didn't know my soldiers. I though knowing, loving, the enemy would be enough. But before I love the enemy I need to love my own soldiers. I've learned that now but I wish I could have known then, and that I may never have the chance to use such information.

What I'm I doing? Am I apologizing? For my neglect? My idiocy? I guess I am. Well I'm sorry, Carn. You were a great Commander. But you know that, you don't need some apology or self-esteem boosting speech from me. I don't matter to you anymore. Look at you, a mighty governor and look at me, a mere civilian.

I hope you're well, Carn. I really do. I know you're not the type to accept apologies, none of us are. I just hope that you'll remember me. Do you remember me? Perhaps your old age is getting to you.

Deepest Apologies,

Ender

From: Carn Carby

To: Ender Wiggin

Subject: Re: Space

You're right. You were an idiot. You know damn well I was a great commander. It took you long enough to admit it. And don't joke with me, you may be younger, but I'm not yet 25. Though I can't say I don't respect you. You were the brightest and the most ambitious. And I say ambitious because otherwise the statement wouldn't me true. You weren't the smartest you dumbass that was Bean.

And you _loved_ the Buggers? Don't make me laugh. You _feared_ them. We all did. They were coming to attack us, to kill us and take over Earth. You _hated_ them. They were coming to destroy everything you held dear. Perhaps not everyone left on Earth. But they would kill Valentine and Bean and Petra and Alai and you too. They would have killed me. But you wouldn't have given a damn. Not then. Maybe now you would. I can't believe you were the smartest, well the second smartest. All the rest of us knew we were just as capable as Alai and Petra. We never resented you, that's true, but we hated the fact that you looked down on us, even subconsciously.

I don't mean to be bitter on our long awaited reunion. Though this can hardly count as a reunion. Great job Ender, you've moved on, you're going to live life. Have fun! You didn't have the chance to before. And I may have sounded like a bitch up there but I love you Ender. Hell, you saved all of us! How can I not?

Don't answer that.

Your forever loyal soldier who only ever longed to be loved,

Carn Carby

From: Ender Wiggin

To: Carn Carby

Subject: Re: Re: Space

Haha. You're too cute. Of course you're mad and of course you love me. You didn't need to tell me that, silly.

Ok. I'll stop the cute little kid act. It's just so much fun, though. You should have tried it when you had the chance.

On a more serious note, I'm sorry to say that you're wrong. It's true that I didn't trust you as much as some others and that I didn't take the time to love my soldiers, but I did love the Buggers. I watched every vid known to man. I learned all their thoughts, all their strategies. I knew exactly what they would do next. I began to think like them, and eventually to love them. They lived in perfect unity, completely unlike humans. They entranced me and held my attention for hours, like the giant in the Fantasy Game.

Carn, it's a big bad world. Universe actually. Not everything's going to go just right. Oh, and another thing you're wrong about. I didn't save us. I simply killed them. They weren't going to kill us. We were just stupid. Such stupid humans. We acted upon fear. If we had only tried to communicate with the Buggers, we could have shared the universe. We were so irrational, such rash decisions. No one thought. The brains of everyone on the planet ceased to work when clouded by such fear. Sure, they may have looked frightening, but who was it that said "don't judge a book by its cover"? He has all my respect. And you my friend, have all my love.

All my love, which sadly I doubt is adequate at all,

Ender Wiggin


	3. Chapter 3

**I told you, this one took me a few days.**

**So, i know this is shorter than the other two, but it took me a LONG time and i rewrote so many parts of it. **

**The whole time i was trying to take into account the critique given in a certain review and i would appreciate it very much if i got ANY reviews for this chapter. Yes, i am that desperate. So enjoy and please review!**

**Next chapter is Dink and Valentine**

From: Alai

To: Han Tzu; Virlomi

Subject: War

Are you guys satisfied? You rule your own worlds now, we all do. That's what we wanted wasn't it? Absolute political power, no war, no opposition, and definitely no child geniuses to compete against. Or maybe it's the exact opposite. Maybe we have nothing to do now that we're really the best. Our whole existence was deemed important because we loved competition.

Can you imagine what Earth would have been like if one of us had won in the end? Sorry Virlomi, but I must admit that you had no chance at all of succeeding. It would have been China or Islam, and what would happen then? Han Tzu, could either of us accept living under the other? And even if someone had won, it's not like everyone else just disappears. Chinese, Muslims, and Hindus will all still roam the Earth and inevitably cause another disruption, even if as small as a rebellion. That's why Graff split us up. But was he really that ignorant? Did he think that once we were a good distance away from each other that the universe would be at peace? In the whole history of Earth, the longest humans have managed to live without war was thirty years. The length of time may have increased along with the distance each colony is set apart, but we are still here, waiting and preparing for the day that arms will be taken up once more. That's the way men have always been.

Sadly, we are perfect proof of the indecency of humans.

From: Han Tzu

To: Alai, Virlomi

Subject: Re: War

As much as I hate to admit it, Peter and Graff were right. They knew we would always oppose each other when lured by the smell of victory. With all of us in such close proximity, it was unavoidable that we would clash. Graff may have been correct in separating us, but even then he still acted like an old father. He trusted us too much and in that trust, placed us in considerably close quarters, believing, or perhaps hoping, that we would not fight, like spoiled children. He thought too highly of us.

Even though we are light-years, lifetimes apart, it may be in our best interest to declare a treaty. Otherwise, we would only end up going to war again. At least once we discover faster-than-light travel. A written treaty is the only way I see of solving our situation. It's not that we hate each other. I may not have known you well, Virlomi, but Alai was, and will always be my friend. No, a treaty will hold us back because it is not emotion that we act upon. We love the contest of war, the thrill of gunfire. It excites our senses and only in war are we satisfied. That's how we were taught to be. Graff takes us in to become military geniuses and kicks us out for succeeding. And now we have the whole universe open to conquer. Yet, somehow I get the feeling that we don't think of other leaders as worthy opposition.

We will be fighting again someday. No matter how much either of you deny it; you both know it's true. That's why I propose this treaty now, not after millions of lives are lost and gallons of blood have drained. Let us take a lesson from Earth's long and bloody history. Wars have been predicted before, but let us take a step further and prevent a preventable war from occurring.

I do have a few terms of my own for the treaty, but they are not important and can be expressed at a later date. It does not concern me which one of us transcribes it, as long was all our interests are met.

I'm sure both of you see the sense in this proposal. After all, they don't pick just anybody for Battle School. Only the best and the brightest didn't they say? The only thing that may be stopping you from accepting is your pride. And you might remember that pride is, according to a God that none of us believe in, one of the seven deadly sins.

From: Virlomi

To: Han Tzu, Alai

Subject: Re: Re: War

You are both fools, even the one who married me. How could you not see India's power? I'm deeply offended that you so easily took India out of the picture, beloved husband. But it is never too late. I've made the offer before and I'll make it again: join India, well in this case Ganges. Technically not join, it's too far away; simply swear your allegiance to. We will not persecute like you have done. We are a merciful people and do not wish for war.

From: Alai

To: Virlomi

Subject: Re: Re: Re: War

I can't express in words just how wrong you are, my wife. The Goddess status is going to your head.


	4. Chapter 4

**As promised, Dink and Valentine. **

**I was thinking about just ending Shadows in Flight here and i think i will. I'm not too happy with any of the four chapters and anyways, i'm in a bit of a poetic mood, hence Song of the Giants (*hint*imightwantyoutoreadthattoo). Although i will be a tiny bit sad to see it go. After all, this is my first fanfic and i've learned a lot from it. For starters, i suck at writing speculatives and should probably stick to flat out stories, which the next one definitely will be (either a story or another poem). **

**So i guess this is it, the last chapter everybody! Enjoy. **

***i also found out, about a week too late, that Carn Carby is Australian**

**and i just found out how to make that line thing! Yes!**

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From: Dink Meeker

To: Valentine Wiggin

Subject: Battle School

I've read your volumes on the Bugger Wars and I have to say, you've analyzed me well, though it wouldn't hurt to squeeze me into a few more places would it? Though I can't complain, you didn't mention Bean at all. Was that to save him? To let humanity forget about his existence? To set him free? Or did you not know? No matter what the reason, and no matter how much we all know he deserves to be recognized, it's better that no one knows. Did you know? Did you speak to Ender; ask his opinion, when writing the volumes? Or is the completely your own speculation?

If it is, then I deem you quite mad indeed. Just as Ender needed to love the Buggers to defeat them, you must have understood us in order to speak for us. That means you are just as insane as the Jeesh. The hours of research and thought you spent on us may have made you even more so than us. But, you were already crazy before that. To work for Peter.

They say you were too soft, but I think you'd be perfect for Battle School. Just look at what Peter made you. Demosthenes. Reading your work on the nets, I saw nothing of what 'Val' was, of the angel that Ender had described. The propaganda you spread moved even me. I knew the truth, yet your lies, your poison still worked so well. You should have been with us up on Eros. Played with us, fought with us. You would have made it to the very end, then their death would be your fault too. Have you asked Ender about this? He and Bean were the only ones to feel it then; that our Xenocide would not be forgiven. The rest of us thought we had won, were heroes, to be exalted in all the Earth. But now we're murderers, hated by everyone. They forget that we were just children. And sometimes I forget that you were just a child. Molded and manipulated by Graff, by Peter.

They called you soft and you drove for power; they called you sweet, and you made bitter the nets. Peter knew the truth and Ender was lost in his delusions.

But I know you differently. All this time, you've lived for Ender, you left for him, and before that, you wrote for Peter. Your whole life has been dictated by others and I wonder, Valentine, what you would have wanted. You told the world what we would have wanted, what Ender wanted, and what the Buggers wanted. What about you?

Dink Meeker

* * *

From: Valentine Wiggin

To: Dink Meeker

Subject: Re: Battle School

I already have what I want. I have Ender, I have Demosthenes, I have my volumes, and I've lost Peter. What more could I ask for?

I've seen my brother live and laugh, and I've seen my other brother bring about world peace. But those things aren't my life, their others'. The truth is, Dink, there was never anything I _really_ wanted. Not even to be with Ender those seven years. And that's why you were wrong about Battle School. I _was_ too soft, I wasn't ambitious enough. The cruelty and ambition you saw from me weren't _me_, they were Demosthenes. Valentine and Demosthenes are not the same. You were also incorrect in saying Peter made me. I chose to follow him, I chose to become that person. If I couldn't help the brother I loved, then what else could I apply my intelligence to than to help the brother I hated to accomplish a future that I approved of? I work not for profit now, but to see it bloom in the future. That's where Battle School fell short. You guys didn't look ahead. You couldn't see the true outcome. It was not fame and power, but isolation. I did not belong with you.

And about Bean, I did know where he was, but that place was not a part of Ender. You, the rest of his Jeesh, were bound to him, his story was yours. But as for Bean, though he was closest to Ender, his story is far greater than my dear brother's. He deserves more than to be written on these pages. His story is for him to record, for I cannot even begin to analyze Julian Delphiki.

Demosthenes

P.S. I noticed that I inadvertently signed this email Demosthenes. I thought about changing it back to Valentine, but decided against that. I've realized that I am no longer Valentine; I'm closer to what Peter wanted, closer to Demosthenes.


End file.
